Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009

Man breaking into East Carondelet home is shot twice

A St. Louis man was shot twice after he allegedly broke into the home where his ex-girlfriend was staying Tuesday.

The homeowner used a gun to defend himself and the ex-girlfriend, police said.

The man accused of breaking into the home was transported to a St. Louis hospital, where he was in critical condition.

The St. Clair County Sheriff's Department was called about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday to a house in the 2300 block of State Street near East Carondelet, Capt. Steve Johnson said.

"We're still investigating," Johnson said. "As it looks right now, a male subject broke into a residence ... because his ex-girlfriend was in the residence.

"When he broke in, a male subject who was in there tried to fight him off and then defended himself by using a semiautomatic pistol and shot the person who broke into the house two times. The person who lived there immediately called 911, came outside, unloaded the gun and waited for law enforcement and EMS to arrive," Johnson said.

No charges have been filed and no names were released.

"If the investigation continues to show what it's showing now and this person survives, then we will take the case to the state's attorney's office at some point," Johnson said. "We are not prepared to do that at this point, considering the subject's grave condition."

The resident suffered some bruising and lacerations from defending himself but did not require medical help, Johnson said.